Italian musical theatre star Christine Grimandi, who played Norma Desmond for three years in the German production of Sunset Boulevard and whose other credits in Germany include Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast and Grizabella in Cats, is featured in the production as aging Russian prima ballerina Elizaveta Grushinskaya. 

The musical has a book by Luther Davis based on Vicki Baum's novel of the same name, music and lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright and additional music and lyrics by Maury Yeston.

Grand Hotel is being produced by Danielle Tarento and directed by Thom Southerland, the same team behind the 2013 Southwark production of Yeston's Titanic that has recently completed a season at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, and features Scott Garnham, Victoria Serra and Samuel J. Weir from that cast. (Philip Rham, who was also due to join them, has had to withdraw owing to a family emergency, and has been replaced by David Delve.)



Also in the 17-strong cast are George Rae, Jacob Chapman, Valerie Cutko, Jonathan Stewart, James Gant, Charles Hagerty (one of the original cast of Broadway's If/Then), Paul Iveson, Rhiannon Howys, Jammy Kasongo, Ceili O’Connor, Durone Stokes and Leah West.



The production is designed by Lee Newby, with lighting by Derek Anderson and sound by Andrew Johnson. The choreographer is Lee Proud, the musical supervisor is Simon Lee and the musical director is Michael Bradley. To book tickets, contact the box office on 020 7407 0234 or visit southwarkplayhouse.co.uk.